32 missing as landslides wreak havoc in China

At least 32 people were listed missing on  Thursday, after landslides triggered by a typhoon hit villages in China's eastern Zhejiang province, officials said.

Twenty-six people were listed missing, while 15 others were rescued after a landslide hit Sucun village of Suichang county on Wednesday, following heavy downpour brought by typhoon Megi.

Megi, the 17th typhoon this year, brought downpours in coastal areas of Fujian province as it made landfall in Quanzhou city with winds packing over 118 km per hour after causing havoc in Taiwan, officials said.

Several houses in the vicinity of 37 km from the county were destroyed and the structures swept away, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In a separate incident, six persons were reported missing in Baofeng village of Wencheng county on Wednesday night after their homes were destroyed by a landslide, Xinhua reported.

More than 400 rescuers are on site at Sucun village.

Zhejiang Vice-Governor Sun Jingmiao was leading the rescue operation. In the province, more than 18,000 people have already been relocated following the heavy rain brought by the typhoon.

Schools and power stations have been inundated in Zhejiang's Pingyang county which is affected by flood.